Related Stories

A construction crew struck a 10-inch gas line Wednesday afternoon, causing several blocks in downtown San Francisco to be closed.

The crew was working at Mason and Post streets at about 2 p.m. when it struck the line. PG&E was on the scene within minutes of the rupture in order to start making repairs, according to San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge.

As of just after 3 p.m., gas was still leaking from the pipeline.

One office building at the intersection -- 490 Post St. -- was evacuated, PG&E spokesman Joe Molica said. Occupants in other buildings on the corner were advised to shelter in place, Molica said.

All of the streets within a two-block radius of the broken gas pipeline were closed to traffic. The Powell-Mason cable car line also had to be diverted for a short time at Powell and Washington streets due to the gas line rupture.

"Public safety is our top priority in these situations, so we immediately began working with police and fire," Molica said.

The San Francisco Fire Department posted a fire engine, a fire truck and a battalion chief at the scene of the gas pipeline rupture as a precautionary measure while the pipeline was being repaired.